Shadow Stalker
by Warlock of Writing
Summary: Daniel is a 16 year old boy who fell victim to the SAO incident that left thousands dead. Still stuck in the death game, along with 199 others, he tries to get out himself.
1. Chapter 1

Shadow Stalker

Daniel woke up to a loud "BANG!" Startled he jumped up and hit a hard concrete ceiling

"Ow!" He complained

He looked around trying to get used to his surroundings, but gave up when he realized that the room he was in was pitch black. He felt around for anything, finally finding a door handle. Turning it, he opened it to reveal the dark expanse of a forest. It looked near midnight outside, so dark that the only source of light was the moonlight and the stars. In the distance wolves howled. He ran… and didn't look back.


	2. Can We Be Friends?

As Daniel crashed through the forest, he paused to catch his breath. After he relaxed his breathing, he looked around. He heard a twig snap, then two; soon it was a crashing sound through the forest, as if it was echoing his movements, just a second earlier. He looked to what seemed to be the source of the noise, but when he turned his face came to find the end of a blade. The bright steel… no gold, it was a golden blade, shining as bright as a diamond; it almost made him want to look away. Before doing so he looked at the wielder of the blade. The only features he could make out were the fact that it was a girl. She was dressed in full knight armor, so only her brown hair was how he could see it was a girl.

"Who are you" He asked slowly, not wanting to see the blade stick out of his back

She said nothing, and Daniel could not see her name. Instead she lowered her…Katana, a 3 foot golden blade, with a 6 inch hilt, wrapped in silk. She moved away, as if looking behind him, trying to find something- or someone. **_Someone?_** He thought to himself. Who? He didn't know. Taking a chance his hand moved to his side, where his Scimitar-a long curved blade, similar to the Katana, only sharper- was sheathed. The girl noticed this and moved her Katana back to his face. Anticipating this, he drew the sword, and as it came out, slashed her chest. Her durability was obviously low, because her chest plate shattered into pixels, revealing her black t-shirt underneath.

"HEY!" She screamed and kicked him in the chest, making him stumble but not fall

"Sorry! What was I supposed to do? Let you turn my face into shredded beef?" He was angry now. He didn't know why she had gotten mad, saying as she had had him at sword point.

"That was my last chest plate. But you are right. I shouldn't have threatened you." She removed her helmet and looked him over.

Daniel knew something wasn't right. She wouldn't have just up and apologized like that if she wasn't planning something. Confirming his assumption, she threw three darts at his face. Praying he was a good enough swordsman, he swiped his Scimitar through the air, splitting the darts. He knocked her Katana up into the air and caught it, crossing them in an X at her neck. She looked extremely surprised.

"H-How did you-"

"I didn't know if that would work, but hell, I thought screw it, and I guess I'm really lucky" He looked at her armor, then with a gasp, seeing a tattoo across her neck. A cross sword, with a head on each tip, dripping blood. The symbol for the "Hunt and Kill" guild. Similar to Japan's "Murder" guild. He glared at her. She looked up at him.

"Please don- Huh!"

She gasped at her neck exploded into red pixels. Her Katana and guild flag, dropping to the spot where she stood, not a moment earlier.

"Good riddance" He hated Player Killers, saying as in this game, it was real death.

The American server was not very popular, so only about 200 people played on it. It wasn't common to find another player, and 50 of them are murderers. The difference between the American and Japanese server, is that, in this world, you fight a single boss, every 3 months. To beat the game, you have to be in here for 25 YEARS!

He headed to the nearest town. He preferred to stay on floor 12, mostly because it was covered in vegetation and wildlife. As he entered the town, he went straight to the bounty collector. He gained 1000 Col and 5000 Exp. Points as a reward. He enjoyed doing bounty missions. They were very rewarding, and the reward went up with your level. So if your, say level ten and you earn 500 Col and 2500 Exp. Points, then if you level up, you get 550 Col and 2550 Exp. Points.

Turning to leave he bumped into a girl in a black jacket, her hood covering her face. She jumped back, not to get ready to fight, but because she was scared.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Please don't kill me!" She pleaded

"It's okay; I won't hurt you…unless you're a murderer." He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case.

She shook her head and straightened her back. She smiled as a thanks and started to walk into the forest from which he had just come from.

"Wait! There are some murders in there, so you shouldn't go there." He grabbed her arm holding her back.

She shivered at his touch. Obviously not used to the physical contact. She pushed his hand away, moving her jacket ever so slightly, but just enough for him to see the knife strapped to her belt. She wasn't a good fighter then. He could see her level to the side of her HP bar. Usually, to see someone's level, you had to be in a party or guild with them, but he had acquired a skill called "Analysis" that allowed him to see levels, attack points, defense, etc. The skill, when mastered, allows you to even see a person's inventory. Mix that with a thief skill and you can steal anything of your choice from a player, instead of getting a random thing.

"Thanks. The last thing I want is to meet one." She sat on a nearby bench

He started to walk away

"Wait! Hey, can we be friends, just in case? My username is-"

Note: I need a real and a username for the girl. Also, I will take any suggestions as to what role she plays in the storyline.


	3. The past joins!

"-Saige" She said

"Okay" He said

He opened his friends list and added her as his… only friend on it. Sure he'd met other players, but had never actually friended them. He liked the thought. He smiled slightly, but unnoticeably. He again started to walk away, when Saige grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Do you mind if I stay with you, just for a while. I'm… not very good at this game" She smiled sheepishly

"Yeah, why not? We gotta stick together to get out anyway, so sure." He smiled, happy to have a companion.

"Yaah aah!" Saige yelled as her new shortsword sliced up a tree monster.

She looked at her stats she gained. He hadn't told her his real name, only his username- Mercury. He only knew her username as well, but he didn't feel like sharing his real name yet. They'd only known eachother for 2 months now. Okay, maybe that is a while, but he was not going to tell her. At least not yet. Not until he trusts her enough.

"Hey, Mercury!" She yelled to him

"Yeah?!" He yelled back

" How much do you think it'll cost for a player home?"

"W-w-wha" He started to get nervous. _She wants to buy a house. We've only known eachother 2 months. Does she like me already?_ He thought to himself.

"A house. I think I might as well find a place to spend my nights after the two of us separate for the night." She gave him a confused look

"Oh, um, yeah, it costs about 250,000 Col for a basic home. That is, a home that has one bedroom, bathroom, living room, and a kitchen. A good house costs around 500,000 Col."

"Why so much?! It's not like anyone really buys homes, so why are they so much?!" She got a frustrated look on her face, "I don't have more than 150,000 Col, so I won't be buying a house anytime soon"

"Umm…" He looked at his inventory. He had 300,000 Col. "I could give you some Col if you want- oh wait, I can't trade it." He frowned

"It's okay. That was sweet of you though" She smiled

"It's no problem at a-" His eyes opened a little widethan they normally are. She kissed him on the cheek.

"I appreciate it. Thanks!" She smiled, then realized what she did.

"Umm… are you okay, you look a little scared" He said, then she smacked him.

"I can't believe you baited me into doing that you idiot! You knew I would kiss you if you gave me the Col!" She went for another hit, but was stopped by his hand.

"I was only trying to be nice Saige!" He let go of her wrist

"You- Okay, it's not your fault. Sorry for overreacting." She looked at the ground

"It's fine" He put his hand on her shoulder

She looked up and smiled.

Daniel and Saige walked to the nearest dungeon on Floor 28. As soon as they walked in, they heard shouts ahead of them, followed by an enormous crash. As they walked forward, the sounds became more fierce and rampant; echoing across the marble walls, that gleamed in the blue torchlight. Their footsteps echoed across the… _glass floor._ Suddenly, silence filled the air. So erie from the fact that it had been a cacophony of noises a second ago.

A small cricking sound emerged from the silence. Daniel looked down toward the glass floor, finding small hairline fractures in it. Panicked, he grabbed Saige's hand and ran. The cracks widened, reaching out for them. Just as they approached the end of the corridor, the glass shattered. Saige screamed as she fell down. Daniel grabbed her hand, cutting his own on the glass shards. All was silent once again, only the heavy breathing of both players could be heard by the highest level listening skill. Footsteps sounded off. Sounding like fireworks going off now that the sound could bounce of of a lot more surfaces. It made his heart beat faster, both from fear for who it was, and for who he was keeping alive. He risked a glance back, finding a hooded figure emerging from the darkness.

"I see we have a couple newcomers" He chuckled, "Would you like to join us? We're about to begin the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" Saige asked

"Yes, ceremony." He pulled out a small curved knife and held it to Daniel's neck

Daniel strained under the effort of holding up Saige, until he heard a ding. He looked down to see that he leveled up. His strength increased greatly, suddenly, holding Saige wasn't so hard anymore. Before he could haul her up though, he was kicked, falling into the abyss, still holding Saige's hand. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Hey! Saige!" He yelled

"What?!" She looked at him, a terrified look on her face

"It'll be fine! We'll be fine!" He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

Nevertheless, she smiled and pulled him into a hug. He could feel the tears in her eyes and her heavy breathing. He looked down to see the floor. Scattered sharp rocks lay all around. Daniel closed his eyes, ready for death. Suddenly, a figure, moving so fast he couldn't see it properly, launched into them, pushing them against the wall.

"RUN! UP! NOW!" The figure yelled

Running up a wall seemed crazy, but he grabbed Saige's hand and bounded up in a half sprint, half hop, movement. He saw the ledge and reached as far as he could. The figure made it up first and grabbed his hand, pulling him and Saige up. He lay flat on his back, breathing hard. Before he passed out, he saw the figure over him, along with a new one.

"It's okay...just...rest" The new one spoke softly. A girl's voice. Coming slowly and calmly.

"We'll get you to safety, just rest." This one was a bit more demanding. A boy, who seemed calm, even though they had just fallen into a deep crater.

Without resistance, he fell asleep, still holding Saige's hand...not ever wanting to let go.

"We need your help again." The man said

"I said I was done with SAO! I'm not going back!" I glared at him

"We have to, for the sake of those people in SAO in America" Said my beautiful wife

"But...fine!" I sighed

"It's okay, we can use our old avatars, but there is one problem."

"What?"

"You can't use duel wielding"

"Why?"

"The reward has already been reserved for someone else."

"Who?"

"Someone that goes by the name Mercury, or Daniel Frey"

"Well, I guess I'll have to make do with it, huh Asuna?" I smiled

"Yeah, I guess you do, Kirito." Asuna smiled

We went into the other room, where Suguha, Lisbeth, and Asada waited.

"What did he want Big Brother?" Suguha asked

"We're going back into SAO, to save others."

"But, SAO isn't active anymore."

"In America it is"

"Oh great." Asada said, "We gotta save those idiots?"

"Be nice! You don't know that their idiots!" Lisbeth argued

"Lisbeth's right. Let's go team, we have some people to save...again." I said and smiled

Everyone laughed and we left to get ready for the reentering of the death game- Sword Art Online: American Server!

 **Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter a lot. It took me a while to put in all the detail, but I still need a name for the girl. Please leave suggestions! Thanks! Scratch that! I have a name for her. Friend at school gave me one! Sorry is you had any suggestions, suggest names and I still might put them into the story! Thanks again!**


	4. Friend or Foe

As Daniel woke up he felt a strange warmth at his side. He looked to his left and realized that Saige was there. He nearly jumped out of the bed right then and there, but decided it wouldn't be nice to wake her. Instead he carefully got up and equipped his gear. He looked around the room. It was nice, with caramel brown walls and white carpeting, and smelled of lilac. He left Saige to sleep and headed into the hallway. He went down the hall, which had a similar design to the bedroom, and down the stairs, which were hardwood.

As he rounded the corner he started to hear voices. 5 of them. One was the girl, the other, the boy. The other 3 were definitely girls. He walked into what looked to be a living room. The brown walls and carpet made it seem like a player home. He looked at the 5 players conversing on the couches. A green haired girl looked over and noticed him.

"Hey! The boy is up!" She sounded like she was younger than him, maybe 14 or 15.

"Suguha, don't scare him." A girl with brown hair, who was without a doubt the youngest player he had ever seen. She looked to be 12 or 13.

"Oh, you two. He obviously isn't scared. He looks perfectly calm." This one had an attitude. She had blue hair, which didn't make sense, since the game changed them to look exactly like they do IRL, and he knew for a fact that no one has blue hair naturally.

" Umm...who are all of you?" Daniel said

"Where are our manners? I'm Sinon, this is Sylica and Leafa. and you've met Asuna and Kirito." Said Sinon

"Sinon? That's an odd name. Did you choose an odd name because you're a bitch in real life?" Daniel didn't like this girl, but she did peak his interest.

"Why you little!" She lunged at him, drawing a bow

"Sinon wai-" Asuna yelled

Daniel didn't hesitate. He side stepped and and sliced the shaft of the arrow, making the bow string snap at her fingers. He smiled and held the blade to her throat. When she looked at him she looked scared. Not because he could kill her, but because he was smiling.

"Hey! Both of you calm down!" Kirito yelled

"Don't tell me what to do! I just met you and already she attempted to kill me! Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Hey!" Someone yelled from behind Daniel. It was Saige. "What are you doing?!"

She ran toward Daniel and grabbed the bow from Sinon's hands and snapped it. She grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him out the door and into the village on Floor 28.

"Come back!" Kirito yelled

They kept walking, but before they could leave, they were pushed into an abandoned warehouse. Daniel's sword glowed in the darkness, providing enough light to see their attackers. It was the group from before, all of them were fully armored and had their weapons drawn. Daniel handed Saige a bottle, holding in his hands two others. The yellow liquid inside glowed faintly. Before the group saw what they were doing, it was too late. Daniel and Saige threw their bottles, each one hitting their target. Sylica, Leafa, and Sinon were down on the ground, not able to move. They had been stunned by Paralysis. Kirito and Asuna faced Daniel and Saige. Boy on Boy, Girl on Girl. Kirito charged at him, his sword blurred out. Daniel parried his strike, and slashed at his stomach, and vise versa. Asuna and Saige were battling it out as well. Only, Saige was a lot less experienced than Asuna, and she was soon backed into a corner, desperately trying to fight Asuna off. Daniel looked at Kirito. The two were so balanced, that neither of them had landed a strike on one another. Daniel pushed Kirito backwards and threw his Scimitar at Asuna...and didn't miss. Asuna gasped and arched her back. Kirito yelled and ran to her. He pulled the sword out and picked her up and ran to the other side of the room. He laid her down carefully, taking her Rapier. Her HP was low, but not gone. Kirito was not happy. He charged at Daniel with all his strength.

One could only flinched at the damage Kirito inflicted. Daniel watched his HP drop, until he was sure it would go fully, but it didn't. Sinon and Leafa both stood up shakily, the paralysis wearing off. Saige swiped her sword at the players, getting them away from Daniel. She gave him a health potion, which she had to force feed him, since he was to weak to hold it. After that, Kirito grabbed Daniel by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"If you ever-"

"If I ever what?! You aren't in charge of me or Saige! I didn't ask you to take us in, that was your choice, not ours!" Daniel didn't care how strong Kirito was, he didn't like it when he was being threatened.

Kirito put him down, still glaring at Daniel. Asuna stood up finally and limped over. She didn't seem mad, but she definitely wasn't in the mood to make eye contact with Daniel. Daniel walked over to Saige and told her that he was leaving. She came along, even though he didn't ask her to. Sylica and Leafa bounded after them.

"Wait! Don't go! Please!" They kept saying

"Mercury, let them catch up." Saige said

Daniel wouldn't say no to her, so he slowed down. Soon the two girls were with them.

"Hey, why don't you care for the fact that they just saved you?" Leafa said

"If Kirito hadn't been so demanding, we may have, but since we had to talk with swords, we decided it best to leave." Daniel was being an ass

"Mercury is trying to say that, 1) He doesn't like Kirito, 2) He is overprotective of me, and 3) Kirito is a bit of an ass" Now Saige was being a slight jerk, but she was telling the truth.

"We came to help you look for the boss dungeons and get out as quick as you can." Sylica said

"Wait! You aren't stuck in here!?" Daniel said

"Uhh...No. We were sent here by scientists from Japan to save you."

"Great! So now you get to brag about how you can leave! And by the way, good luck with the boss thing. It's not like you'll find it for two months now anyways."

"Wait, why?" Leafa said

"Bosses only spawn every 3 months" Saige said, holding Daniel back from walking away

Sylica gasped. She looked sorry for them. Daniel and Saige walked away, leaving the girls behind.

Daniel and Saige were walking down the trails of the forest, when a group of people showed up out of nowhere. All of them had a murderer's brand.

"Oh, great" Daniel sighed

The murderers laughed and closed in. Standing back to back, Daniel and Saige fought like Demons through the hoard. Surprising them, causing them to retreat. Daniel laughed, and Saige hugged him, which caused his heart to burn, and increase its beating rate. Saige felt this to. She smiled, and happily took his hand and pulled him along to the next village.

This one was full of farms. The catch was that it was an abandoned village. Monsters had overtook it, but Daniel thought that it would be a waste to not save the place. As they walked toward it, a hand shot up and grabbed Daniel's leg. He was about to kill whatever it was, when a quest option popped up. The NPC explained that he was dying and he needed them to save the village. If they did so, they could have a home in the village, with their own farm area. Daniel glanced at Saige. She nodded and he accepted the quest. Immediately, the party GUI disappeared. He looked at his quest log and realized it was a SOLO quest. Saige didn't bother taking the quest herself, mostly because Daniel told her not to. He had to do it alone.

The monsters were closing in on him. He thought he was done for, but then he looked at Saige's worried face. She was on the verge of tears. No! He thought to himself. He wasn't going out like this. So he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he threw his sword. Dumb? Not for him. The mob it hit was killed. He ran and grabbed the sword and turned to the rest of the mobs. Everything was a blur after that. Slice-dodge-slice-stab-block-dodge. Until there was no more mobs to kill.

He walked back to the NPC. He turned in the quest. The man handed him a bag of Col. 300,000 of it, and the NPC disappeared, giving him enough Exp. Points to level up. He added Saige to his party again, just in time to. Had he not, the quest would not have been gone for her, but she watched the entire village shimmer and return to what she guessed was how it had been. One house glowed faintly. The two walked up to it. There was a pad on the front saying it was reserved for Daniel and Saige. Daniel let Saige press it and the house key appeared in her hand. She smiled gleefully. They walked into the house.

It was made of oak wood, the floor hardwood, with carpet in some areas. It was fully furnished already. Food was stored in the cabinets and refrigerator. A note sat on the counter.

-Mercury and Saige, thank you for saving our village, we hope you like the home. Enjoy! -The Villagers

Saige smiled at Daniel. They explored the house. Coming to a halt when they saw that there was only one bedroom.

"Umm…" Saige said nervously

"I guess it is meant for either one player or couples."

"You think?!" She swatted his head playfully "Dummy."

"Yeah so I guess we're sharing the bed"

"Why wouldn't we? It is meant for couples right?"

"What do you mean-" He got a pleasant surprise

Saige had pulled him into a kiss. He didn't break away, happily enjoying it. Saige separated and smiled.

"I-I Love you Mercury" She said

"I love you to Saige. Oh, and my real name is Daniel by the way. Daniel Frey."

"Hello Daniel Frey, I'm Audrey Hope." She smiled at him

Suddenly, a notice popped up in front of her. She looked down and read it. IT WAS A PROPOSAL NOTICE! She looked up at Daniel, the person who had risked his life to save her multiple times, who had taught her how to fight, and most importantly, was her best friend, in the game and IRL. She kissed him once more and while doing so, pressed accept. Two golden bands appeared on their ring fingers, engraved in them were two wolves, one boy, one girl, holding each other close. Daniel and Audrey both smiled wide and closed the door to their bedroom, enjoying each other's embrace, and all night they kept together...all night.

 **Note: I hope that you loved this chapter...haha, get it? Loved? Nevermind, anyway, it took me a while to decide if I should make them husband and wife, so my friend(female, not girlfriend mind you) gave me the idea of instead of just having Daniel propose, make this quest up. I think it is good, but that's up to you all to decide. Thanks for the support! :)**


	5. Quick Update

Hey everyone, Warlock of Writing here! Sorry about the lack of updates on my account. I've been busy the past few months, on top of which, my desktop broke (It's fixed now) and I've had to use my phone and/or tablet to update, so expect more updates very, very, soon! And thank you to those who have favorited this story, I don't know if it's the same for other authors on , but when I get the email that says someone has favorited one of my stories, it makes me extremely happy that someone took the time to read and did enjoy my writing/typing, I love you all! That's all for now!


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